New report calls on UK government to act on 'green' mineral mining

Source: London Mining Network

A new report has exposed the potential widespread environmental destruction and human rights abuses unleashed by the extraction of transition minerals - the raw materials needed for the production of renewable energy technologies. It has been produced by the London Mining Network and War on Want.

'A Material Transition' explores supply and demand solutions for renewable energy minerals and highlights what can be done to set out a pathway for a globally just energy future. It calls on the UK government to critically question resource use in any green recovery plans.

Human rights abuses must be abolished from mineral supply chains and issues of over-consumption urgently addressed. Our high-intensity, wasteful and growth-oriented economy must be transformed so that humanity can thrive within ecological limits. The report author, Andy Whitmore, says: "Although we must rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to tackle the climate crisis, we cannot do this by expanding our reliance on minerals. Any increase in the extraction of energy transition minerals threatens to create new 'sacrifice zones', in the Global South, North America and Europe - destroying communities and causing environmental destruction. The transition to green energy must respect human rights."

Asad Rehman, Executive Director of War on Want, said: "Our call to the UK government is to join the dots between tackling the climate crisis and the critical question of unsustainable resource use. The goal must be to transform our energy-intensive, wasteful and growth-orientated economy to one that can meet everyone's needs within ecological limits. The first steps are ending human rights abuses from mineral supply chains and urgently addressing issues of overconsumption."

Regarding the supply of minerals, investors and the end-users of transition minerals - such as battery or electric vehicle manufacturers which use huge quantities of Lithium - are increasingly recognising the need to eradicate human rights abuses from their supply chains. However, the number of new laws and different assurance initiatives means that consolidation and coordination are desperately required. On the demand side, there are a number of practical solutions which could be initiated or accelerated to enable better-informed choices about our energy and resource consumption.

Andy Whitmore from London Mining Network, said: "A focus on more efficient, or green, growth is not enough. A radical reduction of unsustainable consumption is the most effective solution, based on a fundamental change to Global North economies and lifestyles. Such a change could be considered the creation of 'a circular society' based non-resource-intensive solutions for people and planet." The report contains in-depth case studies from communities in the Philippines and Indonesia on the frontlines of conflicts arising from transition mineral mining.

LINKS

Read the Report at: https://waronwant.org/resources/a-material-transition

London Mining Network: www.londonminingnetwork.org / Facebook and twitter @londonmining

War on Want: www.waronwant.org / Facebook and twitter @WarOnWant